Trooper Jennifer Fisher, who found Rookie injured along Interstate 40 last week, said the dog underwent surgery without incident Tuesday afternoon.

“Rookie made it out of surgery without problem,” she said.

Fisher said what veterinarians thought was a fractured kneecap in an x-ray turned out to be broken in four places and needed to be pinned together.

Fisher said investigators need to find the woman who reported that she saw a man toss the dog off the bridge Dec. 5.

Fisher, who plans to adopt Rookie, said the woman called 911 to report a man threw the dog off the Interstate 40 bridge over SE 59. However, dispatchers were unable to get the woman's contact information before she hung up.

“We need to find her,” Fisher said Tuesday.

Fisher said she arrived about five minutes after the woman reported the incident and found Rookie alive. She said Rookie had big eyes that tugged at her heart.

“A lot of times we (troopers) see injured animals on the road that have to be put down,” Fisher said. “He was so sweet and so sad, I knew I wanted to give him a chance if the vet could save him.”